Research Methods Flashcards
What are the 3 types of hypothesis?
- directional (one -tailed) = says direction of results, eg. participants in A will have higher scores than B
- non-directional (two-tailed) = ‘ there will be a difference in participants A and B scores’
- null hypothesis = ‘ there will be no significant difference’
what are strength vs weakness of independent groups design?
different participant take part in each experimental condition + randomly allocated
- strength :
1. p’s less likely to show demand characteristics as they only take part in 1 exp condition
2. no order effects such as practice or fatigue because participants take part in one condition
- weakness :
1. individual differences may affect results
2. More participants are needed compared to repeated measures.
What are strength’s + weaknesses of matched pairs design ?
- p’s are matched on key variables, all participants should be pre-tested for variable + one person from each pair is randomly allocated to each condition.
- Strengths:
1. no order effects + less demand characteristics as participants only take in 1 exp condition
2. Reduces participant variables (individual differences ) - Weaknesses:
1. time consuming + difficult to match P’s on key variables
What are strength + weaknesses of repeated measures design ?
- P’s take part in both experimental conditions
- Strength :
- no individual differences as the same participant is used.
- requires 1/2 no of p’s of IGD to have same amount of data
- Weakness:
- order effects = practice ( do better) + fatigue ( do worse) - counterbalance using ABBA effect
What are strengths + weaknesses of random sampling ?
obtained by lottery method or allocating numbers to each p and use random number generator
- strength = all members of a target population have an equal chance to be chosen
- weakness = takes time to number p’s etc + no guarantee the sample will be representative as some subgroups could be missed
What are strengths + weaknesses of systematic sampling ?
every nth person from a given population is chosen
Strength = unbiased as p’s are selected through an objective system
Weakness =
What are strengths + weaknesses of Stratified sampling ?
- divide a population into smaller subgroups (strata) based on shared characteristics of the members and then randomly select among these groups to form the final sample.
Strength = more representative than other methods
Weakness = takes a lot of time + money = some subgroups may still be missed
What are strengths + weakness of Opportunity sampling ?
- studying whoever’s available at the time
strength = quick, easy ,cheap
weakness = unlikely to be representative
what are strengths + weaknesses of volunteer sampling ?
strength = p’s are willing to take part + large no can be obtained
weakness = personality characteristics may cause bias
What are strengths + weakness of lab experiments ?
strengths:
1. high level of control over IV and any extraneous variables so we can determine the cause + effect
2. high replicability due to use of standardised procedure
weakness :
1. artificial so lacks ecological validity + generalisability
2. risk of demand characteristics
What are strengths + weaknesses of field experiments ?
strength :
1. higher ecological validity because it takes place in a natural setting
2. less risk of demand characteristics if ppl are unaware of the research taking place
weakness:
1. difficult to replicate
2. less control of extraneous variables
3. ethical issues of consent
What are strengths + weaknesses of a natural experiments ?
strengths:
1. greater ecological validity since change in IV + setting is natural
weakness:
1. cannot demonstrate cause + effect relationship since IV is not directly manipulated
2. lack of control of extraneous variables
What are the 6 types of observations ?
- Naturalistic = behaviour studied in a natural environment where nothing is changed
- Controlled = some variables are controlled by the researcher eg. Strange Situation
- Covert= P’s DO NOT know they’re being observed i.e.. using a one way mirror
- Overt = P’s are aware that they’re being watched + have given consent
- Participant = researcher takes part in experiment
- Non- participant = researcher watches participants and does not take part.
Describe what a structured / unstructured interview is + give strengths + weaknesses
structured = q’s are pre- determined + delivered face to face or over phone
strengths:
1. easy to repeat
2. less chance of interviewer bias
weakness:
1. interviewers can’t deviate from q’s which reduced richness of the data
Unstructured = no predetermined q’s + but new q’s developed during interview and follows a general aim
Strengths:
1. more detailed + richer data than structured
Weakness:
1. may be interviewer bias
Describe what a closed / open questionnaire is + give strengths/ weaknesses
closed = fixed yes / no responses = Quantitative data
strengths: easier to analyse quantitative data rather than qualitative
Weakness: less detailed answers + social desirability bias
open= no fixed answers = Qualitative data
strengths: richer, in-depth answers
weakness : takes time + difficult to analyse + social desirability bias
